The productive families’ exhibition at the Al-Jouf Olive Festival is no longer a market allocated only for heritage pieces, which are usually the dominating characteristic for popular productive markets.
Instead, it is now a market that displays various art items and showcases the talents of Saudi women who now use their abilities to produce goods and commodities that meet market and consumer needs.
About 170 women are participating in the festival with products including Al-Sadu (a traditional form of weaving) products, wool knitting and handicrafts. The market has also seeing the emergence of women and girls from the region specializing in art sculptures, perfumes, handmade soaps and statues.
Abdulaziz Al-Ruwaili, general supervisor of the market, said that the Princess Sara bint Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Award granted to productive families has had a great role in the development of the market, which is being held for the fifth consecutive year.
He noted the active participation of Saudi women, who use their talents to turn their productions of Al-Sadu weaving and embroidery into modern luxury goods, keep pace with trendy women’s fashions.
He added the exhibition also includes popular dishes, industrial bags, mobile phone covers, and numerous types of sweets and food.
Al-Ruwaili said the productive families’ exhibition aims to train and rehabilitate productive families and enable them to meet the challenges facing them. The exhibition affords them the opportunity to display, market, sell their products and establish marketing channels for their products.
“It ensures a sustainable income and provides economic returns for the productive families, thus transforming them from being consumers to producers,” Al-Ruwaili said. “It motivates the community to establish domestic investments in addition to rooting the national heritage and handicrafts, strengthening national identity and promoting an entrepreneurial culture.”
He added that the King Abdul Aziz Women’s Charitable Organization in Al-Jouf holds free training courses for productive families at its headquarters, including Al-Sadu weaving, sewing, traditional foods, the handmade soap industry, artworks, bedspreads, accessories and clothing.
The training courses focus on developing skills for productive families at the professional, administrative and marketing levels.

Source : Arab News